


Playdate with the Leviathan

by Emby_M



Series: The Leviathan's Family [1]
Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Chaos God Parenthood, Emily finds out about her dads, Fluff, Low Chaos Corvo Attano, M/M, Mute Corvo Attano, Origami, POV Second Person, Parent Corvo Attano, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 18:02:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9503807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emby_M/pseuds/Emby_M
Summary: Emily knew about the Outsider always.But Emily was strange — didn’t show fear where one would expect a child to cry and wail. Never was afraid of ghost stories or the tales the Abbey told her.So it doesn’t surprise you at all when you come into her room and she and the Outsider are folding paper into shapes, as if nothing was strange and there was no hint of purple at the corners of the room.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I really like writing in second person y'all. If it ain't for you, I get it.  
> Corvo's sign language is marked out with angle brackets.

Emily knew about the Outsider always.

But Emily was strange — didn’t show fear where one would expect a child to cry and wail. Never was afraid of ghost stories or the tales the Abbey told her.

So it doesn’t surprise you at all when you come into her room and she and the Outsider are folding paper into shapes, as if nothing was strange and there was no hint of purple at the corners of the room.

Emily folds slowly. The Outsider is quick and precise, and when he’s done, he makes them spring to life and dance and fly and leap.

Emily swats a paper bird out of the air, raising herself up from her stomach and leaning in towards the great Leviathan, yelling, “Stop it!”

In the time it takes her to complete the motion, the Outsider has folded another one, springing it into the air. This one is a frog. She swats this one down too, crushing it back into flat paper.

The poor thing lets out an inelegant croak, as though she were crushing a real frog.

“Stop making those!” she yells, again, whining.

The Outsider folds another one, a delicate pony. A small piece of paper like the one he used shouldn’t have been able to render something so elegant, but then his previous creations could emote.

Emily tries to squish it but it rears and runs around her.

She flops onto her stomach, rolling in a familiar pose of tantrum. “I want to do that! Stop making things I can’t! I order you as the Empress of the Isles!”

You decide to step in.

You cross your arms disapprovingly, although the exact blame is muddied in this situation, and scowl.

“I didn’t expect you back so soon, Corvo,” the Outsider coos, trying to win you over. You know he knew you were coming.

“Oh! Corvo!” Emily says, pushing up from her tantrum rolls and running to grab your hands. “Whaley’s being mean to me! He won’t teach me how to make them right!”

She turns around and sticks her tongue out at the Outsider.

In no world could you have ever imagined that the Outsider would stick his tongue out back. You don’t think about how purple his tongue is but you store it away for later.

“I was _trying_ to explain, but young mistress Emily wants to learn how to make them move. But only you and I can do that.”

Emily’s head whips around.

“You can do that!” She gasps, tugging on your clothing.

You give the Outsider your most disappointed look, and kneel softly on the ground.

You pick up the frog, squished inanimate, and stare at it until it leaps from your hand.

Emily squeals with delight.

< _What exactly are you planning?_ > You sign at the Outsider, and he smiles, as enigmatic and cryptic as always.

He folds up a piece of blue paper, and what emerges from his hands is a whale. The whale floats exactly like it was in water, circling your own head. It sings.

Emily and you watch entranced. It moves slowly.

It unfolds itself just as slowly, revealing a red, mottled interior. _Gruesome. Definitely not a feature of the original paper._ It reforms gently into a heart. An anatomically correct heart, like the one you hold to find marks of the Outsider. It floats into your hands and it feels like the paper is wrong somehow, like it tugs at some other dimension you can’t fathom.

When you look back at Emily, she is silent-still in a way she’s never been.

You frown, coaxing her attention to you ask you sign, < _What’s wrong?_ >

Emily looks up at you. “Papa…” she stage-whispers, “I think Whaley likes you.”

You flush, blinking. The Outsider grins in the corner.

“You’re right, little empress,” he says, coming over and petting her hair, “I love your papa.”

His eyes sparkle with mirth, his grin smug.

“… Corvo,” she says, leaning into you, very close, whispering conspiratorially, “Do you like him back?”

You sigh, and sign <Yes.>

 “Wow!” She yells, and grabs your shirtsleeves, “have you kissed?”

You face flushes again and you nod.

“Oh my gosh.”

“Your papa is very very interesting,” the Outsider says, so much more gently than he would ever talk to you, “I’m very fond of him.”

“Are you... married?”

<Sort of. We're...> and here your hands pause, searching for the right word.

“Bonded,” the Outsider answers for you.

Emily considers this. She ponders a little more.

“Well,” she says, going to hold the Outsider’s hands, “I guess you can’t be Whaley anymore.”

He pouts. “I was beginning to like that name.”

“Well, now you’re also papa! So you can’t be Whaley too!”


End file.
